cabbageboy

I think it would be WORSE for fans to flat out think ECW was in all instances under the WWE umbrella. If that's the case the show would come off like a slightly different version of Heat. The fact that it is ECW and seems half under the WWE umbrella and half autonomous makes it interesting. But good grief, one look at the amount of Raw and SD guys that show up on ECW makes it obvious to the biggest dumbass on earth that ECW has some kind of affiliation with WWE. I doubt most of the major changes will even happen. Surely someone will realize how dumb this stuff sounds.

Eh, I wouldn't really go that far. Earlier I mentioned this was maybe Scorsese's 5th best movie behind Goodfellas, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, and Casino. Departed maybe has a stronger overall plot with tension than Casino, so maybe flip those two. I'd give the film ***1/2 out of ****. There are a few things that are minor weaknesses or extraneous (the shrink subplot, Nicholson being an FBI informant) and it's a bit draggy after a point with DiCaprio stooging on the mob while Damon keeps Nicholson from being caught. It's a bit repetitive. Made me just want to see the worm turn.

I'm sorry but I can't see U of L losing to Rutgers. Last year the Cards simply beat the fuck out of them about 56-5. Now Pitt? Yeah, U of L might lose that one. Incidentally why isn't Pitt ranked anything? Maybe they will be after next week, since I fully expect them to hand Rutgers that 1st loss.

I understand the booking of Sting/Jarrett...it's just I don't care about the initial feud enough to feel anything either way. Jarrett has done so many con jobs to win or retain the title that at this point I'm expecting Angle to show up and turn heel and help Jarrett retain (which would of course be the single dumbest booking decision ever). Perhaps I don't care because Sting--even if he wins--is such a blatant transition champion. They've done little to make me want Sting to win the title, but done much more to make me want to see Joe destroy Jarrett and officially win the belt. They have also done more to make me want to see Sting crush Christian for costing him the title the first time. It's like the booking itself is okay but it's leading to the wrong matches, know what I mean? Thankfully Russo is at least moving away from all the horrible Jarrett/Zbyzsko/Hebner trash that was killing TNA's show.

You know, it looks like USC will eventually go down to someone (Cal, Oregon, ND, UCLA). Rutgers stomped Navy today and proved me wrong with that game, though I had no idea if Navy was any good really. I'm thinking Rutgers finally goes down to Pitt next week. Basically it's looking more and more like this season will come down to the following games: Ohio St. vs. Michigan and U of L vs. WVU. How ironic is it though that both of the Big East teams have much tougher roads to go though, what with Rutgers and Pitt lurking.

Oh God, I fear the wheels are coming off for U of L. Maybe it was a one week thing with Brohm coming back from injury, but that was a shit performance today vs. Cincy. I really, really worry about a road ambush at. Syracuse next week before the WVU game. The irony of this is that due to Florida losing U of L may well move up a bit in the BCS when it's announced tomorrow.

I'm actually quite interested in BFG as a PPV, but TNA makes it tough. Yeah they are doing video packages for Sting/Jarrett but Sting hasn't even been seen on TV in a month. They have matches I want to see but none of them include the main event of this PPV. Jarrett/Joe for the title? Definitely. Joe/Christian? Sure. Angle/Sting as well. Angle/Joe of course. JJ/Sting? Meh.

TNA is a curious show. I want to like it but I don't quite understand what they are trying to hype. You have Sting vs. Jeff Jarrett coming up at a PPV. How do they hype it? By having Samoa Joe hold the title hostage, bringing in Christian, and Jarrett and Sting are nowhere to be found. Anyone else feel that Russo and Co. are already considering BFG a wash and wanna get past the whole Sting/Jarrett feud and onto other things?

Okay here is the NFL week 5 schedule with my predictions: 1:00: Detroit at Minnesota: Vikings got off to a hot start but have slid a bit since, though neither were awful losses. I think they rebound here against the winless Lions. Vikings by 7. St. Louis at Green Bay: Rams are a hard team to figure. They're 3-1 against mostly mediocre teams, but lost on the road to the Niners. I will go with the Packers by 3. Tennessee at Indianapolis: This is a joke right? The only doubt is whether the Colts cover the 18 points. I say they do. Colts by 21. Buffalo at Chicago: People will immediately say "Bears squash" but the Bills may well get them into an ugly, defensive game. I'll say Bears 17-7. Cleveland at Carolina: Panthers are another tough team to figure, but I think they can manage here against the crappy Browns. Carolina by 13. Miami at New England: Pats had a smashing win this past week, so how will they follow? With a mediocre 21-14 win over the Dolphins. Tampa Bay at New Orleans: Tampa is the walking dead at this point, Saints should roll here 24-7. Washington at NY Giants: Giants are coming off a bye week and are in desperate need of a win. I think it'll be a high scoring game, something like 35-31 Giants. 4:00: NY Jets at Jacksonville: Jets have been better than expected, but this is a tough task. I'll say the Jags will win here 20-17. Kansas City at Arizona: Chiefs looked dominant this past week, Leinart will be making his first start most likely. Chiefs by 14 or so. Oakland at San Francisco: Oh God. It's the blind meeting the blind. I will go with the Niners since they are slightly less inept. SF by 6. Dallas at Philadelphia: You know the Eagles will want to beat down T.O. I think they will do it too, Bledsoe will get picked a few times. Eagles by 10. 8:15: Pittsburgh at San Diego: Steelers have struggled so far and the Chargers need a win. I'll say the Chargers win here by 7 at home. Monday 8:30: Baltimore at Denver: Ravens have scraped by the past couple weeks, this looks like a good time for that first loss. Denver by 7. EDIT BY ANDY O: CBS Coverage Map 1 & 4:15 Games: FOX Coverage Map 1 Games: FOX Coverage Map 4:15 Games:

Here's another thought I had with RVD/Show. They might just do that title match on TV under regular rules, then Heyman and his thugs do blatant run ins and Show gets DQed. Thus it doesn't really blow it off and RVD is screwed once again and doesn't have another surefire title shot. Then they can do the tourney I was wanting for #1 contender going into D2D. RVD wins that, then finally gets the Show in an Extreme Rules match on the PPV. Or they could do a couple of title switches and do Cena/RVD/Batista, but saying RVD will get the ECW title by then might be a leap of faith.

I'd think it has to be at Dec. to Dismember. That gives them plenty of time to hype it. Before then Show has to be in the 3 champions match at Cyber Sunday and then there's the Survivor Series team match.

If this is for real I can't imagine how dumb this was to simply toss out RVD/Show on free TV in a non title match. When would they even do the actual title match?

Yeah by all means post the ECW results.

Yeah the shrink stuff sucked for the most part. It's like Leo just bangs her really out of nowhere (after being ultra rude and bitter during most of the sessions). I didn't even think about Matt Damon being impotent or anything....maybe there was one scene where he felt stressed or something. I liked the movie but it has enough flaws to where I rank it behind Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Casino. I actually didn't have a problem with the ending, though I did mention my alternate ending above. I had more of a problem with the midsection, where it was just "Costigan is undercover with Costello, Sullivan is a fink" and it was repeated ad nauseum.

Just wondering but was ECW taped on this SD show as well?

In regards to Rutgers/Navy....Rutgers is such a joke. I mean honestly. They are 5-0 against one of the lamest schedules on earth, and two of those wins were a 5 point win over UNC (who is horrible) and a 2 point win over USF. I bet Navy takes them out, or if not Navy then Pitt will wax them the next game. Of course now that I trash Rutgers watch them catch U of L napping since that is the game right after the WVU game, on the road to boot.

Wait up, what? Is Leo DiCaprio actually playing Teddy Roosevelt? Sounds like horrible casting to me, unless it something when he's younger. There's something unconvincing to me about DiCaprio in this sort of role. I mean he didn't weaken the movie exactly but imagine a younger De Niro or Pacino in a similar role. DiCaprio comes off like a pretty boy playing tough guy, whereas someone like De Niro or Pacino would have simply seemed like tough guys.

Benoit has faced Booker about 10 million times, that's hardly a new or compelling matchup. Booker has now already gone over Batista, and they don't even think Lashley can draw in the main event enough to do that match. Booker vs. a debuting Kane on SD? Booker vs. UT has been done to death too. I mean yes I know RVD has been punished of late but the thing is you can't punish the main guy on a roster. It's stupid and counterproductive.

Why not have Heyman's goons attack RVD and cost him the match? That at least serves some sort of sick storyline purpose, something like Heyman only wanted to book RVD on this Raw special so he could have him humiliated yet again. Instead it's just Sharmell doing a run in? The reason I find it stupid is that RVD vs. Show is a match ECW is going to have to rely on to get a decent buyrate for the Dec. PPV. Booker has jack shit in terms of compelling challengers on SD at this point.

I enjoyed this show for the most part tonight but one thing truly irked me. Why are they jobbing RVD out so mercilessly? Yeah I know about the weed but it's time to look at the big picture. ECW doesn't really have anybody else at the moment who can step up. CM Punk might get there at some point, but he's not quite ready to main event. So why job RVD to Booker twice in the past month? Booker gains nothing by it and it just buries RVD and ECW. At least the Test job served a purpose of trying to get Test over in ECW. Anyway the 3 way champions match is intriguing for the PPV. I will say Big Show wins it. They won't job Cena there and they always seem to protect Show, thus Booker is the obvious job boy here. I'm thinking it's too obvious to simply have Cena win and Raw emerge supreme, so they'll let Show win it.

Here is what I thought might happen, though it didn't: What do you guys think?

Yeah critics are fawning all over DiCaprio and Nicholson here but I actually thought Damon was the standout here. He played that little weasel prick yuppie that I knew he had in him (much like Affleck in Changing Lanes). And yeah Wahlberg followed up on his hard edged Four Brothers effort with another vicious turn. It's odd to see Wahlberg show such charisma when you've seen his bland performances in Planet of the Apes or Italian Job. Anyway I'd say this is Scorsese's 5th best movie behind Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Casino. Pretty good company though.

Eh, HHH was doing it for his own good though. Carlito is involved in a few of these situations. Like him teaming with Cena this year after having the guy stabbed in a nightclub a while back. Or how about teaming with RVD with no explanation after attacking his bad leg and (in storyline) keeping him from returning for another 6 months.

Not advertising Benoit was a mega stupid move. Okay maybe not so much him but not even mentioning the whole Regal mystery opponent deal on SD before the PPV. If they had advertised Benoit or at least "Regal is issuing an open challenge for the PPV" then I might have been more inclined to order this PPV. SD just does a horrible job of hyping PPVs. The irony is that the next day I always read about how the PPV was actually quite good, but the hype doesn't suggest that it would be so I don't order it.

Jeff Weaver actually was pretty damn good in game 2 of the Padres series. I was as shocked as anyone else. Oddly enough while the Mets were certainly the best in the NL this year the possible World Series matchups have zero appeal to me. Mets vs. Tigers? Bleh. Mets vs. Oakland? Maybe in 1988. Since the whole "OMG Subway Series!" crap is out of the way the Mets might as well lose.